News | February 7, 2014

B&B Electronics subsidiary Conel has expanded its family of rugged wireless communications routers with the 4G LTE LR77 v2 Cellular Router which takes advantage of the fast data transfer speeds (up to 100Mbit/s for download, 50Mbit/s for upload) of the LTE cellular network.

Built for industrial applications that demand speed, security and the ability to handle large data loads, the LR77 wirelessly connects M2M equipment and devices via an Ethernet interface 10/100 or a serial interface to the Internet or intranet. The unit offers multiple port configurations, a dual SIM card option, and either a plastic or metal casing. A wide operating range (-30 to 60 degrees C), DIN-Rail mounts, and automatic firmware updates allowing mass configuration of many routers simultaneously make the LR77 perfect for M2M connectivity in harsh or remote environments.

Applications that depend on secure wireless communications technology with performance and reliability at the ‘very edge’ of networks would include: traffic and security camera systems, automatic teller machines (ATMs) and other self-service terminals, wind power plants, solar panels, oil/gas/water distribution networks and grids, and sensors that monitor geological, environmental and weather conditions.

Diagnostic functions such as automatic inspection of PPP connections, automatic restart when connections are lost, and a hardware-monitoring ‘watchdog’ ensure continuous communication. A special start-up script window is available for inserting Linux scripts for various actions.

Another key feature is the ability to create four different profiles/configurations in one router. This provides the option to switch between operating profiles, either remotely via SMS or locally via I/O, in order to perform tasks like diagnostics or alternative network configurations.